Bolt-holder for railway-rail joints.



c. RAHMGREN.- BOLT HOLDER FOR RAILWAY RAIL JOINTS. PPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPPP E 1 1908.

921,281 Patented May'll, 190a UNITED STATES 04F QHLKRLTON, .IOWA.

. .BOLT-HOLDERLEOR .RAILWAY-RAIL. JOINTS.

Specificationof Letters Patent.

Application filed June 1,.

Patented May 1 1, 1909.

1908. Serial No. 436,178.

To all whomit may concern:

Be it known that I, CHARLES RAHMGREN, a citizen of the United. States, residing at Chariton, in the county of Lucas and State of Iowa, have invented a certain new and useful Bolt-Holder for Railway-RailjJoints, of which the following is a specification.

The object of my invention is to provide a bolt holder for railway rail joints of simple, durable and inexpensive construction, formed completeof a single, .flat steel plate, and of such size and shape that it may be readily and easily carried by the operator,..and which may be readily quickly and easily applied to the bolt head of a bolt in a railway rail joint with its lower edge resting upon the flange and its upper end resting against the rail in such position that it will be retained in position while the operator is removing a nut from, or screwing a nut on, the other end of the bolt, the said holder being designed to prevent the bolt from rotating.

My object is, further, to provide a holder of this kind so arranged that the operator may, when desirable, place one foot against it to firmly and securely hold it in position and at the same time use both hands for the purpose of turning a nut on the other end of the same bolt.

My invention consists in the construction of the device, whereby the objects contemplated are attained, as hereinafter more fully set forth, pointed out in my claims, and illus trated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 shows a side elevation of a complete device embodying my invention, and Fig. 2 shows a perspective view of a art of a railway rail with fish .lates arrange thereon and my improved bo t holder in position in engagement with a bolt head as in practical use.

Referring to the accompanyin drawings, I have used the reference numeral to indicate the body portion of a bolt holder. This body portion is preferably formed complete of a single piece of plate steel. Thesides of the plate are preferably tapered slightly toward the lower edge. In the center of the lower portion of the plate, is a bolt head opening 11 having teeth 12 formed on both sides thereof. This opening is of the Width to readily and easily receive a bolt head of the kind used in railway rail joints. The length of the opening from top to bottom is such that the lower edge of the plate may I readily and easily rest upon the flange of a j rail-orfish plate and the bolt head be contained wholly within the said opening. At i each lower corner ofthe plate, I have pro vided a tapered projection 13' extended a slight distance below the lower edge of the plate and having a sharp point formed at the center of the loweredge thereof. In connection with these extensions, it is important that they project slightly below the lower edge of. the plate and that the edges thereof are sharp enough to prevent the plate from sliding when resting on said extensions in an upright positionon the upper surface of the flange-of a rail or fish plate.

In practical use and assuming that the bolt head is arranged in position with two sides vertical, then the operator simply places the bolt holder in position with the head of the bolt extended through the opening therein and the sharpened projections 13 resting upon the flange of the fish plate with the up per edge of the plate resting against the upright portion of the fish plate, or against the side of the ball of the rail. In the event that the bolt head does not stand in the position described, the operator can readily and easily turn it to the proper position by means of an ordinary wrench. After the bolt holder is in position, then the operator may, if he desires, stand on the opposite side of the rail and by using a wrench, he may turn the nut on the other end of the bolt, even if the nut is rusted on the bolt. In this connection, it is to be understood that the bolt, when being turned, will have a tendency to force one of the sharpened extensions 13 into the flange of the fish plate, thus preventing the plate from slipping, furthermore, the bolt itself by being twisted within the opening in the holder will tend to prevent the holder from falling outwardly away from the rail. In practice, however, it has been found that an operator may, when using an ordinary wrench in both hands, readily and easily hold it in position and prevent it from falling outwardly away from the rail.

By having the plate tapered from its upper to its lower end, it is obvious that the sharpened projections 13 may be placed upon the inclined flange of the fish plate at such an angle that it will not likely slip downwardly and outwardly away from the rail on the fish plate and it can easily be held from tilting outwardly at the upper edge by the operators foot as before described.

I claim as my invention.

1. A device of the class described, comprising a metal plate having an opening there in adapted to receive or engage a bolt-head or nut, said plate being so shaped that it may be placed at its upper portion against the side of the tread portion of a rail and its lower portion resting upon the rail or fishplate flange with a bolt-head or nut in the opening thereof, the lower edge of said plate being provided with a sharpened edge to prevent the plate from slipping relative to the rail or fish-plate flange.

2. A device of the class described, comprising a metal plate tapered toward its lower edge, sharpened projections at the lower corners thereof, said plate having an opening therein extending from the lower edge upwardly, said parts being so proportioned that the sharpened projections may rest upon the flange of a fish plate and a bolt head extended through the fish plate may be contained wholly within said opening.

3. A device of the class described, comprising a metal plate tapered toward its lower edge, sharpened projections at the lower corners thereof, said plate having an opening therein extending from the lower edge upwardly, said opening having teeth on its sides, said parts being so proportioned that o enin havin two arallel sides arran ed h t! b vertically and provided with teeth, said sides being separated far enough to freely admit a bolt head between them.

Des Moines, Iowa, May 11, 1908.

CHARLES RAHh iGREN. Witnesses E. H. LEWIS, O. G. MOCOLLOUGH. 

